You have to hand it to Disney. The Mouse House certainly has its formula down cold.
They start by co-opting a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, say, sprinkle it with songs, toss in a comic sidekick character or two, inject the storyline with a few Hallmark-esque messages, then open up the box office and stand back to make room for the crowds.
In the case of Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” it became a 2013 animated feature film called Frozen, which earned a record $1.28 billion worldwide. True, the subsequent stage show lasted only slightly less than two years on Broadway, but if the current home-grown production at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre is any indication, there is plenty of lucrative life left in the material.
No, Frozen is no Lion King, which was a truly innovative show that took an already popular animated film and re-invented it for the stage. Frozen does bolster its score by the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Jennifer Lee does add some teeth to her acclaimed screenplay, but otherwise its attempt to devise a theatrical equivalent to the movie’s many special effects comes up short.
Fortunately, there is enough residual affection for the film of Frozen that audiences seem willing to settle for the results onstage. John Tartaglia (Beauty and the Beast) returns to the Maltz to direct this tech-heavy show and emphasize its inherent human qualities, while choreographer Kristyn Pope marshals the ensemble with high-energy dance moves.
As your offspring or grandchildren surely do not need reminding, Frozen is the saga of a pair of royal sisters. Elsa and Anna, from a Nordic village named Arendelle. Orphaned when their parents are lost at sea, the girls are kept apart after the elder Elsa harms her little sister with her icy magic skills. Years later, after learning that her uncontrollable frosty touch not only threatens Anna but puts all of Arendelle in jeopardy, Elsa exiles herself up a perpetually wintry mountaintop.
Not understanding Elsa’s reason for the estrangement and blaming herself, Anna sets out to reach the summit and reconcile with her sister. Along the way, she meets and becomes enamored with an ice seller named Kristoff and his mute but expressive reindeer, Sven. And, not a minute too soon, she also encounters a chatty pint-sized snowman, Olaf, whose welcome humor and affection for fireplace heat warms up the otherwise chilly production.
Tristen Buettel (Elsa) and Brooke Quintana (Anna) ably head the show. The former projects prudent caution and internalized guilt, while the latter throws caution to the wind in her love for her sister. Both have superb singing voices, particularly Buettel, who nails the first act finale, the Oscar-winning “Let It Go,” where she accepts her icy superpower. In the show’s most magical moment, she dons a shimmering white gown (by costume designer Leon Dobkowski) in the blink of an eye.
In the large supporting ensemble, there are two standouts. Wesley Slade is the comic puppeteer behind snowman Olaf — literally behind him — conjuring up emotions and expressions with the slightest movements. And while the show hardly needs to be padded, the Lopezes add a daffy tangential number at the top of Act Two, “Hygge,” a Danish expression of creature comfort. Explaining the term in song is Brian Klimowski, whose picture is probably in the dictionary under “quirky.”
Other score augmentations include another power ballad for Elsa (“ Monster”) and a love duet for Anna and her dubious romantic interest, Hans (“Love Is An Open Door”). A better choice for her is Kristoff, she is advised, if only he cleaned up his act a bit (“Fixer Upper”). Musically, the show is in the capable hands of Eric Alsford, conducting a lush 12-piece orchestra.
Scenic designer Tijana Bjelajac makes a good-faith effort to compete with the film’s visuals, aided by some stunning video projections by Lisa Renkel and Rob Denton’s icy lighting.
In all probability, your own Elsas and Annas — weaned on the home video of Frozen — will be perfectly satisfied by what director Tartaglia has wrought at the Maltz. And in all fairness, this production makes a more than worthy first introduction to the theater for little ones. The more knowledgeable and sophisticated your youngsters are, though, the more uneven the experience may be.
FROZEN, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd., Jupiter. Through Sun., January 26. $74-$140. 561-575-2223 or visit jupitertheatre.org